Anniversary
by animelover222222
Summary: COMPLETED! Kaoru' father died and this is the anniversary of his death. This is only PG13 for some romance and violence. ONE SHOT! I wrote the poem! Hope you like it!


**Anniversary**

Kaoru woke up with a heavy weight in her heart. Today was that day. It was the anniversary of papa's death.

She slowly got up and dressed. Why do these memories hurt me so? Will the pain ever lift?

Of course her memories were nothing compared to Kenshin's. The thought of the rurouni warmed her heart but for some reason, the pain didn't leave.

"I need to clear my thoughts," Kaoru said. She was about to leave her room when something caught her eye. She grabbed the ink, a brush, and some paper before heading to the dojo.

She avoided the kitchen because she didn't want anyone to know where she was going, especially Kenshin.

She entered the dojo silently. No one was there. She closed the door behind her and tooks slow steps.

_This is where dad died._ Painful memories swept back to her as she kneeled in the middle of the dojo. _This is where he took his last breaths. _She studied the floor. She could still see the faint blood stains from that horrid day.

_Memories…_She thought back to that day.

"Get back, Kaoru!" her Father yelled. He turned to the challengers. "Fight me if you wish. I will follow your rules. Real swords it is than." He walked over to his hanging sword. He strapped its sheath on and drew the sword. 

"_Dad! No! Don't fight them!" Kaoru screamed._

"_Kaoru! I must protect you. Please stand back," her father ordered sternly._

"_Yeah. Go clean little girl! Leave the swords to the men!" yelled one challenger. _

"_You will regret speaking to my daughter in such a matter!" roared her father. "Get ready!" her father ran at the challenger with great speed and their swords clashed. They clashed and clashed until the challenger fell to the ground for a direct hit by Koru's father. Suddenly, all the challengers in rage went after Kaoru's father._

"_Father! Watch out!" Kaoru yelled. Her efforts were in vain, however, for the intruders reached her father. One made a long slash across her father's back. "FATHER!" He fell to the floor. Kaoru ran out to help him._

"_I told you to not interfere girl!" yelled one challenger who immediately slashed her in the back. Pain flew through her body as she hit the ground. Blood. She was surrounded in a pool of blood. She heard the sounds of swords in the background._

"_Fa..ther…" she whispered as she managed to pull herself up. The bodies of intruders surrounded her father. There was no movement. The dojo was filled with blood. Suddenly, her father stirred in between the mass of corpses. "Father!" She scooted over to her father's body. Tears ran down her cheeks. "No!"_

"_Kaoru… please, I am dying. Take care of the dojo for me." Her father closed his eyes. His breathing slowly faded. Then there was silence. Kaoru was in great pain physical, but the pain her heart was greater pain than she had ever felt in her whole life. Her father was everything to her._

"_FFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAATTTTTTHHHHHHEERRRRR!" she yelled at the top of her lungs trying to scream out the pain. It didn't work. She felt herself collapse to the floor but was to lost in emotional pain to care. She heard voices. She didn't care. Someone lifted her up was carrying her away from her father._

_She tried to kick and scream to get back to the only one who ever mattered to her but she was to weak. She felt dizzy. The world around her faded in to black._

She cried as she remembered. _Father was trying to protect me and died in the process. I swore I would make it up to you father; that I would make you proud._ _Do I make you proud now father? I did as you asked and kept up the dojo. I wish you were here._

She took up the paper and wrote a poem. She dried her tears when she finished. She folded it and stood up. She walked outside the dojo and went to the gate. She opened it silently and left.

She wandered the streets like a lost dog searching for its home. She walked up to a hill and finally realized where she was going when she saw the stones; her father's grave. She found his stone and sat on top of the dirt in front of it. She began digging with her hands.

She made a small hole and placed her poem inside before recovering it with soil. She bowed to her father. "I will never forget you, father," was all she said before she got up and walked away.

Kenshin saw Kaoru leave the dojo and quietly followed her. _She is troubled that she is._ She wandered around town before she finally reached her destination. _A graveyard? _She kneeled down at a grave and buried a piece of paper. Kenshin heard her whisper "I will never forget you, father." _Her father!_ She stood up and walked away.

Kenshin was about to follow her but curiosity got the better of him. He walked out of the shadows to the grave and dug up the paper. He read it aloud:

"**_Tears_**

_Tears fall down,_

_Without movement,_

_Tear fall down,_

_On the cold pavement,_

_Why do things happen?_

_Why am I here?_

_To live in sorrow?_

_There goes another tear."_

Kenshin felt an ache in his heart. _Why didn't she tell me she lived with such pain? _Kenshin quickly buried the poem and ran after Kaoru. _She is so selfless. One should not carry the weight of sorrows on themselves. Friends can help._

Kenshin stopped dead in his tracks. He realized that he didn't take his own advice! _How ironic!_ Kenshin used his godlike speed and got to the dojo before Kaoru. He waited until she reached the gate. She opened it and closed it. Right as she turned around he was there. "Why didn't you tell me about the anniversary of your father's death?" he said.

Kaoru turned around. She let out a "Yeep!" She stood two feet away from Kenshin. He looked straight into her eyes and said "Why didn't you tell me about the anniversary of you father's death?"

She looked up at him in shock. _How did he…? _ "Friends have ways," he said. She tried to fight back tears.

"I didn't want to bother you with my troubles," she said. Kenshin smiled. He put his arms around her and pulled her close.

"This one is not bothered. Please tell me anything that troubles you Kaoru." Kaoru was in shock. _He dropped the "-dono"!_ She returned the embrace and cried on his shoulder. He held her there as she cried.

She stopped crying and looked in his eyes. She said "Thank you, Kenshin. You can tell me your troubles too." She smiled and he returned a smile too. Kaoru then began blushing when she realized the position they were in and how close their face were. "uhh… Kenshin…"

Kenshin moved his face closer in with his naughty rurouni smile and said "Something wrong?" Before she could answer he swooped in and kissed her hard on the lips.

She melted in to the kiss. She moaned and he moaned in response. Their tongues whipped out to taste each other. The kiss seemed to last forever until Kaoru pulled away. Kaoru broke the embrace and was walking away.

Kenshin looked confused so Kaoru turned around and said, "Now, now your naughty rurouni, you still have to eat breakfast before you can have dessert!" She laughed.

Kenshin smiled "But what if I want dessert before breakfast?"

She laughed, "Well, I guess you'll just have to catch that dessert first!" She began running for the kitchen.

Kenshin ran after her for he enjoyed her little game of cat ant mouse and this cat was getting his mouse! He ran after her knowing that he would get his dessert very soon.

Daddy? Can you here me? I know you have been gone for a while and I miss you. Everything on earth is fine. I am taking care of the dojo and have a man who will protect me from anything. I hope you give us your blessing. But just don't worry okay? I am doing just fine.

Your daughter who will always love you,

Kaoru


End file.
